1. Dogs are the most popular pet and are found in 69 million U.S. households.
(APPA)
The most common pets in the U.S. are unsurprisingly dogs. Approximately 69 million American households had at least one dog in 2021–2022.
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2. 3 million households have cats.
(APPA)
Just as unsurprisingly, cats come in second as the most popular pet, with 45.3 million U.S. households owning a furry feline.
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3. 8 million U.S. households have freshwater fish.
(APPA)Perhaps this is a surprise, but 11.8 million American households own freshwater fish.
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4. Birds can be found in 9.9 million U.S. households.
(APPA)
In fourth place, we find that 9.9 million American homes own birds.
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5. Small animals can be found in 6.2 million American homes.
(APPA)The fifth most common kind of pet in U.S. homes is small animals. We don’t have a breakdown of what the most popular small animals are, but we can assume that rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs top the list.
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6. 7 million U.S. households own reptiles.
(APPA)
Reptiles are the sixth most common pet in the U.S., with 5.7 million homes owning a reptile. Like the small animals, we don’t know the breakdown of what kinds of reptiles are the most popular, but snakes are likely the top candidates, along with lizards and turtles.
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7. 5 million homes own horses.
(APPA)Coming in as the seventh most popular pet are horses. 3.5 million homes own a horse, whether keeping them at their own ranch or boarding them at a stable.
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8. Saltwater fish can be found in 2.9 million U.S. households.
(APPA)
Saltwater fish are the eighth most popular pet in America. They are higher maintenance, which might account for their being less popular than the rest.
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9. Wyoming is the top state in pet ownership at 72%.
(AVMA)As of 2016, Wyoming had the highest number of households that owned pets, which was followed by West Virginia at 71% and Nebraska at 70%.
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10. The District of Columbia has the lowest number of pet-owning households at 38%.
(AVMA)
The District of Columbia had the lowest rate of pet-owning households at 38%, followed by Rhode Island at 45.4% and South Dakota at 46.4%.
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11. Idaho had the most dog owners at 58%.
(AVMA)This is followed by Montana at 52%, Arkansas at 52%, and Mississippi at 51%. It’s thought that more dog owners tend to be in the warmer, rural states, although there are plenty of dogs in the colder states.
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12. Vermont had the highest percentage of cats at 45%.
(AVMA)
Maine came in second at 44%, West Virginia at 38%, and Indiana also at 38%. Many of the cat-owning states tend to be the colder ones.
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13. The most Google searched dog in the U.S. was the Doberman.
(Franchise Opportunities)These numbers come from the 2017 Google Trends data for the most popular or most searched dog breed in each state. The Doberman Pinscher was the most popular, being the most searched in seven states. The French Bulldog came in second as most popular in five states and the Rottweiler in three states.
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14. The millennial age group is the largest number of pet owners at 32%.
(Statista)
Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996 and are the age group that owns the most pets. After the millennials are the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) at 27%. They are followed by gen X (born between 1965 and 1980) coming in third at 24%.
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15. Millennials spend more on their pets over the holidays, with an average of $51.
(Statista)Millennials own the most pets and tend to spend the most on their pets over the holidays with an average of $51. This compares to the baby boomer’s average of $28.
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16. Dog owners spend around $1,201 annually, while cat owners spend about $687.
(TD Ameritrade)
On dog food alone, dog owners spent about $442, while cat owners spent about $329 on cat food in 2020.
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17. 79% of American pet owners think that their pets are their best friends.
(TD Ameritrade)The numbers are high across all of the age groups: millennials at 79% and both gen X and baby boomers at 78%.
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18. 89% of pet owners said that their pets have brought them comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(TD Ameritrade)
Across the generations, 84% were millennials, 87% were gen X, and 95% were baby boomers.
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19. The most popular cat breed in the States is the Ragdoll.
(CFA)The Ragdoll breed was the most popular in 2020 for the second year in a row. It was followed by the Exotic in second place and the Maine Coon in third.
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20. The most popular dog breed in the States is the Labrador Retriever.
(AKC)
The Labrador Retriever has been the most popular dog in the U.S. since 1991. That’s over 30 years! Labs also top the list in many other counties around the world.